rabbit
07-20-04, 11:59 AM
So says Jeff Hammond: (http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2587206)
For the lazy clickers...
Over 80 percent of Cup drivers aren't fully prepared for fire
Jeff Hammond / FOX Sports
I understand and appreciate a driver's desire to drive different types of race cars. In my limited driving experience, I understand the exhilaration and fun of knowing that I've driven sprint cars, late-model stock cars, and I've been in a Busch car as well as a Winston Cup car. Only drivers truly can understand the thrill of running other series so I can support their love and passion for racing.
I do take issue with drivers who are lacksadaisical about safety. Sometimes they have to look at the car they are driving and ask, "Is it safe, and am I doing everything I can do to protect myself?" Dale Earnhardt Jr. would not have been burned if he had been wearing Nomex underwear underneath his firesuit or if he had been wearing a balaclava underneath his helmet. Safety equipment is made available to drivers for a reason. Sometimes we have a tendency to get too comfortable and not realize how quickly something can go wrong, and I think that's what happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Sunday.
In the neighborhood of 80 to 85 percent of Nextel Cup drivers do not wear enough to protect themselves from fire in the cockpit. I only know one driver who has worn a balaclava for years, and that's Kyle Petty. A lot of drivers wear a lot of the underwear, but they won't wear the helmet sock which was made to protect them in the event of fire. If you go back and look at a lot of guys who have been burned inside of a stock car, they burn their necks and faces because those areas are still exposed. If a driver has ever been burned, he understands the need for protection because getting burned is very painful.
The drivers haven't learned and they won't. Now that NASCAR has a fire extinguisher in the trunk, they think that everything is where it needs to be, and they are going to be OK. But it only takes one time for any number of things to go wrong.
We learned it the hard way on pit road until we burned enough guys gassing cars and changing tires that we finally wrapped those guys in protective gear, especially the gas men and the overflow guys. But it's borderline whether the rest of the guys are totally protected.
What's it going to take? It'll take someone getting burned either on pit road or inside of a race car before NASCAR says, "You know what, guys? We really need to do this." We've got to get hit square between the eyes with an unfortunate situation before we realize that we need to make a change.
And I'm not talking about wearing safety equipment only in Nextel Cup either. Racers should protect themselves from the time they are driving go-karts to the time they are running in Formula One. Get all of the safety equipment you can get because you're only taking care of yourself. If you're not worth a plug nickel, then that's all you need to invest in safety equipment. But if you think you're worth more than that, then you need to take the time and effort to cover your butt. Great column. :thumbup:
For the lazy clickers...
Over 80 percent of Cup drivers aren't fully prepared for fire
Jeff Hammond / FOX Sports
I understand and appreciate a driver's desire to drive different types of race cars. In my limited driving experience, I understand the exhilaration and fun of knowing that I've driven sprint cars, late-model stock cars, and I've been in a Busch car as well as a Winston Cup car. Only drivers truly can understand the thrill of running other series so I can support their love and passion for racing.
I do take issue with drivers who are lacksadaisical about safety. Sometimes they have to look at the car they are driving and ask, "Is it safe, and am I doing everything I can do to protect myself?" Dale Earnhardt Jr. would not have been burned if he had been wearing Nomex underwear underneath his firesuit or if he had been wearing a balaclava underneath his helmet. Safety equipment is made available to drivers for a reason. Sometimes we have a tendency to get too comfortable and not realize how quickly something can go wrong, and I think that's what happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Sunday.
In the neighborhood of 80 to 85 percent of Nextel Cup drivers do not wear enough to protect themselves from fire in the cockpit. I only know one driver who has worn a balaclava for years, and that's Kyle Petty. A lot of drivers wear a lot of the underwear, but they won't wear the helmet sock which was made to protect them in the event of fire. If you go back and look at a lot of guys who have been burned inside of a stock car, they burn their necks and faces because those areas are still exposed. If a driver has ever been burned, he understands the need for protection because getting burned is very painful.
The drivers haven't learned and they won't. Now that NASCAR has a fire extinguisher in the trunk, they think that everything is where it needs to be, and they are going to be OK. But it only takes one time for any number of things to go wrong.
We learned it the hard way on pit road until we burned enough guys gassing cars and changing tires that we finally wrapped those guys in protective gear, especially the gas men and the overflow guys. But it's borderline whether the rest of the guys are totally protected.
What's it going to take? It'll take someone getting burned either on pit road or inside of a race car before NASCAR says, "You know what, guys? We really need to do this." We've got to get hit square between the eyes with an unfortunate situation before we realize that we need to make a change.
And I'm not talking about wearing safety equipment only in Nextel Cup either. Racers should protect themselves from the time they are driving go-karts to the time they are running in Formula One. Get all of the safety equipment you can get because you're only taking care of yourself. If you're not worth a plug nickel, then that's all you need to invest in safety equipment. But if you think you're worth more than that, then you need to take the time and effort to cover your butt. Great column. :thumbup: